Door-latch



A. E. BLOXISOM.

DOO R LATCH.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I8, 19I9.

1,370,681 Patented Mar..8, 1921.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

INVENTOR. A5 5.1. oxsoM.

QLL/c g ATTORNEY.

A.'E. BLOXSOM.

DOOR LATCH.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 18, 1919.

'1 370,681, Patented Mar. 8, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR. A 5. BL 0 X6 0M.

A TTORNE Y.

UNITED STATES.

.PT T OFFICE.

ARTHUR E. BLoXsOM, or PUEBLO, COLORADO.

DOOR-LATCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Mar. 8, 1921.

Application filed June 18, 1919. Serial No. 305,022.

2' 0 54% whom it may con-0cm:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR E. BLoxsoM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pueblo, in the county of Pueblo and State of Colorado, haveinvented certain new and A further object of my invention is to providea device of the type referred to, the operating mechanism of which iscontained within a pocket of the door frame, and still another object isto provide a locking mechanism for the latch bolt which is normallyinoperative and which becomes effective only by contact with the doorduring its closing movement. j 4

\Vith the above and other objects in view, all of which will fullyappearin the course of the following description, my improved door latchwhich is particularly designed for use on automobiles, consists of theconstruction and combination of parts shown in their preferred form inthe accompanying two sheets of drawings in the several views of whichlike parts are similarly designated and in which Figures 1, 2 and 3represent horizontal sections of a door-frame to which the invention isapplied, showing the operating mechanism of the same in its normalposi-. tion and in two distinctive operating positions in which it isplaced by the closing movement of the door;

Fig. 4, a vertical section through the door-frame and the latch on theline 47- 1, Fig. 1, and

Fig. 5, a vertical section through the. frame and the latch taken on theline 5-5, Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral 2 designatesthedoOr-frame preferably provided with a stop '3, and 1 the hinged doorwhich in its edgehas a tapering metal-lined socket 5 to admit thesliding latch-bolt of the mechanism the operating parts of which arecontained in their entirety in a casing 6 fitted within a pocket of theframe.

'l'helatch mechanism consists Of a bolt 7 which has a curvilinearsliding movement through an aperture 8 in the edge of the amb plate9 ofthe casing to gradually enter the socketof the door during its closingmovement. 7

A bent bolt-actuating lever '10-has a long arm 12 which in the normalcondition of the mechanism projects into the door openlng through anaperture 13 in the jambplate of the casing, and a short arm 14 which hasa movable connection with thebolt 7.

The bolt is guided in its operative movement by a pin 15 extendingthrough a lon- 'git'udinal slot 16 of its body portion and it has at theinner edge of its said portion a series of ratchet shaped notches 17 forc0- operation with a locking pawl 18 which for convenience inconstruction is pivoted on the pin 19 which constitutes the fulcrum ofthe lever.

A double-action spring 20 yieldingly holds the lever in its projectingposition when the mochanism'is in its idle condition, and maintains thepawl in engagement with the notches of the bolt when the latter extendsinto the socket of the door.

The shortarm 14 of the lever projects loosely into a socket 21 in theend of the latch bolt andit has curved cam faces which are engaged byanti-friction rollers 22 at the outer end of the socket of the bolt.

The curvature of the short arm of the operating lever is such that whenthe lever is moved about its fulcrum by contact with the closing door aswill hereinafter be more fully described, its points of contact with thelocking bolt will gradually recede from the fulcrum so that as the doornears its closing position the movement of the bolt is' accelerated tocause it to fully occupy the socket 5 when the door is closed.

"Vhen the door is in the open position, the pawl is held free from thenotches of the latch-bolt by a keeper 23 which projects slidinglythrough an opening in the bottom of a shallow recess 24in the jambplateof the lock casing. The keeper has a rounded head 25 adapted to enterthe recess and it has at its opposite end a longitudinal slot throughwhich the pawl loosely extends.

A coiled spring 26 fastened at its ends to the keeper and to the part ofthe casing through which the keeper extends serves to pull the lattertothe position 'in which its head projects into, the door openingand thepawl is held free from the notch inthe locking bolt, when the door isopen and the locking IRBChaIHSIn is accordingly 1n anlnactive condition.r

The key or releasing member which the boltis released for its Withdrawalfrom the socket in the door may be of. any suitable construction. In theform illustrated in the drawings, it consists of a longitudinallymovable headed stem 27 provided end of the long arm of the operatinglever projects under the influence of-the spring 20, into the dooropening, and the spring 26 holds the keeper 23 in the position in whichits head projects into the door opening, the pawl is in consequence.separated from the notches in the latch-bolt, and the latter iswithdrawn from the door-opening and extends in its entirety within thecasing in which the latch mechanism isassembled.

It will be noticed that with the parts thus relatively positioned, thelever 10 may be moved about its fulcrum without looking the bolt so thatif by accident or in play the projecting end of the lever is pushedintoits casing. the operative condition of the lock is not affected andthe parts will be automatically returned to their normal relativepositions, by the spring 20 as soon asthe lever is released. i-

When the door is moved to its closed posi-' tion, it first of allengages the head of the keeper and presses it into the recess. of thedoor jamb against the pulling action of the spring 26, with the resultthat the pawl 18 15 released andpermitted to move into en-' gagementwith the notches of the locking bolt by the pressure of the spring 20,as shown in Fig. 2. a w

Upon further inward movement of the door its forward side engages theprojecting end of the lever 10 and moves the latter about itsfulcrum,fthereby causing the bolt 7 to beproj ected into the dooropening.

" I The socket 5iin theedge of the door is at this. time in registerwith the aperture of the j amb-plate through which the latch-bolt hasits movement so that when the bolt isshot movement.

opening in by the initial motion ofthe lever it imme diately enters thesocket of the door and thusprevents the latter from backward Thecontinued closing movement of the door causes the bolt to move fartherinto its socket until at the time the door has reached its full' closedposition in engagement with the stop 3. as shown in Fig. 3, the end ofthe lever is entirely retracted from the door-- opening and the bolt isfully projected into the socket. Y I l The parts are. secured in thisposition by the engagement of the spring-press'ed-pawl with a notch ofthe bolt and can-be released only by operation of the key whichseparates the pawl from the bolt as hereinbefore described.

. The last part of the movement'of the bolt into the door-socketisaccelerated by the decreased leverage of the lever so that all playbetween the end of the bolt and the shoulder of the socket is taken upwhen the door reaches its closed position.

It will be seen that bythe use of my in-' vention a door may be securelylocked by moving it to its closed position without slamming and withoutthe manipulation of bolt-retracting parts, and that for these reasonsthe lock is of particular value foruse onmotor driven vehicles to securethe doors in the body thereof. I 7

Having thus described my improved latch mechanism .in the best form atpresent known to me. I desire it understood that variations in the formand arrangement of its component parts may be resortcdito within Ithespirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims:

What I claim and desire to secure by Let ters-Patent is: c

The combination with a socketed swing in}; door and a frame having anopening into which the door closes, of a lever nor mally projecting intothe opening and adapted to be retracted by the door in its closingmovement. a-notched bolt adapted to be proiected into the door openingby movement of the lever, to. enterthesocket of the door a awl adaptedto engaqe a notch in the bolt, to lock the latter ingits projectedposition, and a key adaptedto disengage the pawl from the bolt.

2. The combination witha vsocketed door and a frame having an openinginto which the door closes, of a lever normally project'- ingintothe'opening to, be engaged by the door in its closing movement, anotched bolt adapted to be projected into the door opening by movement.of the: lever to enter a socket of the door, a pawl adapted to move.

into engagement with'anotch in the bolt to lock the latter in itsPIOjQCtGdPOSltlOH, a movable keeper controlling the movement of the pawll and proje cting normally into.

the opening to be moved by contact of the door, and a key adapted todisengage the pawl from the bolt.

The combination with a socketed door and a frame having an opening intowhich the door closes, of a lever normally projecting into the openingto be engaged by the door in its closing movement, a notched boltadapted to be projected into the door opening by movement of the lever,to enter a socket of the door, a pawl adapted to move into engagementwith a notch in the bolt to lock the latter in its projected position, asliding, spring-actuated keeper controlling the movement of the pawl andprojecting normally into the opening to be moved by contact of the door,and a key adapted to disengage the pawl from the bolt.

7 i. The combination with a socketed swinging door and a frame having anopening into which thedoor closes, of a springpressed lever normallyprojecting into the opening and adapted to be retracted by the door inits closing movement, a notched bolt adapted to be projected into thedoor openby movement of the lever, to enter the socket of the door, aspring-pressed pawl adapted to engage a notch in the bolt to lock thelatter in its projected position, and a key adapted to disengage thepawl from the bolt.

5. A door-latch comprising in combination, a casing having an aperturedjambplate, a lever normally projecting through an aperture of the plate,a notched bolt adapted to be projected through another aperture of thesame and having a movable connection with the lever, a pivoted pawladapted to move into engagementwith a notch of the bolt to lock thelatter in a projected position, a keeper movable in an aperture of theplate and controlling the move ment of the pawl, and a key adapted todisengage the pawl from the bolt.

6. A door-latch comprising in combination, a casing having an aperturedjambplate, a lever normally projecting through an aperture of the plate,a notched bolt adapted to be projected through another aperture of thesame and having a movable connection with the lever, a pivoted pawladapted to move into engagement with a notch of the bolt to lock thelatter in a projected position, a keeper movable in an aperture of theplate and controlling the movement of the pawl, a spring yieldinglyresisting the inward movement of the keeper, and a key adapted todisengage the pawl -from the bolt.

7. A door-latch comprising in combination, a casing having an aperturedjambplate, a notched bolt adapted to be projected through an aperture ofthe plate, a lever having a long arm normally projecting through anotheraperture of the plate and adapted to operate the lever by the contact ofa door swinging across the jambplate, and a short arm in impellantcontact with the belt, a pivoted pawl adapted to engage a notch in thebolt to lock the latter in a projected position, and a key adapted todisengage the pawl from the bolt.

8. A door-latch comprising in combination, a casing having an aperturedjambplate, a notched bolt adapted to be projected through an aperture ofthe plate, a lever having a long arm normally projecting through anotheraperture of the plate, and a short arm having a curved cam of varyingleverage in impellant contact with the bolt, a pivoted pawl adapted toengage a notch in the bolt to lock the latter in atrolled member adaptedto lock said one member in its projected position, and a member normallyprojecting into the opening and controlling the action of thekeycontrolled member.

10. A door-latch comprising in combination with a swinging door and aframe having an opening into which the door closes, a member normallyprojecting in the opening and adapted to be retracted by contact of adoor moving into the same, a second member connected with the othermember to be projected into the opening by the retraction thereof, andkey-controlled means automatieally locking the projected member againstretraction when the door is closed.

In testimony whereof I have ailixed my signature.

ARTHUR E. BLOXSON.

